The Miami Heat will be without Nikola Jovic for at least four weeks, the team announced Tuesday.
Jovic will be in a splint and re-evaluated after those four weeks after suffering a fracture in the second metacarpal of his right hand during Sunday’s loss to the Milwaukee Bucks.
The timeline places Jovic’s earliest return at some point in mid-to-late March, but Jovic will likely require time to ramp up even if he’s given the all-clear during his evaluation in four weeks.
INJURY UPDATE: It has been determined that Nikola Jović suffered a fracture in the second metacarpal of his right hand. He will be in a splint and re-evaluated in four weeks. He suffered the injury against the Milwaukee Bucks this past Sunday on February 23.
— Miami HEAT (@MiamiHEAT) February 25, 2025
The Heat’s final regular season game is April 13 vs the Washington Wizards.
Jovic had settled into a role as Miami’s third big, behind Bam Adebayo and rookie Kel’el Ware. He averaged 10.7 points, 3.9 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 25.1 minutes in 46 games this season.
Kyle Anderson received a bulk of the minutes off the bench in Jovic’s absence in Monday night’s loss to the Atlanta Hawks. He played well, tallying 14 points, five rebounds and two assists in 28 minutes. Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Haywood Highsmith are other options to get minutes in Jovic’s absence as well.